'Not Fade Away' (U.S.)

'Not Fade Away' (U.S.)

**** (out of four) The best movie about music since "Almost Famous," "Sopranos" creator David Chase's feature writing-directing debut "Not Fade Away" uses great music to accentuate a great coming-of-age tale. As in Tom Hanks' highly entertaining "That Thing You Do," "Fade" centers on a lovesick drummer (John Magaro of "Liberal Arts") who joins a band after the previous drummer leaves. Yet the movie has so much more weight, chronicling the change of the mid-'60s through characters living in the moment, questioning if there is ever necessarily a "right" time for anything. James Gandolfini co-stars as a hard-ass dad, who's constantly telling Doug (Magaro) that he looks like "he just got off the boat." Much of the conflict between these fully drawn characters revolves around unexpected opportunities and the resistance to change. This personal, vividly detailed movie should generate profound memories in everyone, whether or not they actually lived through the period. See it: 7:30 p.m. Oct. 16 ($16-$20), with Chase scheduled to attend

**** (out of four) The best movie about music since "Almost Famous," "Sopranos" creator David Chase's feature writing-directing debut "Not Fade Away" uses great music to accentuate a great coming-of-age tale. As in Tom Hanks' highly entertaining "That Thing You Do," "Fade" centers on a lovesick drummer (John Magaro of "Liberal Arts") who joins a band after the previous drummer leaves. Yet the movie has so much more weight, chronicling the change of the mid-'60s through characters living in the moment, questioning if there is ever necessarily a "right" time for anything. James Gandolfini co-stars as a hard-ass dad, who's constantly telling Doug (Magaro) that he looks like "he just got off the boat." Much of the conflict between these fully drawn characters revolves around unexpected opportunities and the resistance to change. This personal, vividly detailed movie should generate profound memories in everyone, whether or not they actually lived through the period. See it: 7:30 p.m. Oct. 16 ($16-$20), with Chase scheduled to attend

**** (out of four) The best movie about music since "Almost Famous," "Sopranos" creator David Chase's feature writing-directing debut "Not Fade Away" uses great music to accentuate a great coming-of-age tale. As in Tom Hanks' highly entertaining "That Thing You Do," "Fade" centers on a lovesick drummer (John Magaro of "Liberal Arts") who joins a band after the previous drummer leaves. Yet the movie has so much more weight, chronicling the change of the mid-'60s through characters living in the moment, questioning if there is ever necessarily a "right" time for anything. James Gandolfini co-stars as a hard-ass dad, who's constantly telling Doug (Magaro) that he looks like "he just got off the boat." Much of the conflict between these fully drawn characters revolves around unexpected opportunities and the resistance to change. This personal, vividly detailed movie should generate profound memories in everyone, whether or not they actually lived through the period. See it: 7:30 p.m. Oct. 16 ($16-$20), with Chase scheduled to attend